A leading historian and expert on education research, Ellen Condliffe Lagemann is the Charles Warren Professor of the History of American Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. From 2002–2005, she served as dean of the school, stepping down to concentrate on research and teaching.

Prior to joining Harvard, Lagemann served as president of the Chicago-based Spencer Foundation and was a professor at New York University, where she served as chair of the Department of the Humanities and the Social Sciences and the director of the Center for the Study of American Culture and Education. Earlier in her career, she taught for 16 years at Teachers College, Columbia University, and was also a member of Columbia’s Department of History.

While dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Lagemann was instrumental in linking research to practice, developing innovative core courses for its curriculum, reorienting the school’s masters degree programs, and reorganizing its academic organizational structure. She also played a leading role in shaping university-wide activities designed to enhance Harvard’s role in the improvement of K–12 education.

Lagemann is the author of five books, including An Elusive Science: The Troubling History of Education Research (2000). She also has edited or coedited four additional books, and published numerous articles, reviews, and book chapters. Lagemann is a member of the National Academy of Education, where she served as president from 1998–2002. She also served as president of the History of Education Society and on the editorial board of the History of Education Quarterly, and is a member of many other professional associations.